


being soft has its advantages

by savethecat



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Catra Purring, Drunk Adora (She-Ra), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Post-Canon, adora is an idiot therefore we all love her, catra and adora being idiots together, catra can't handle how much she loves adora, gays being stupid, this is just stupid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:27:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24973810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/savethecat/pseuds/savethecat
Summary: Catra had no one to blame but herself. She was the one who convinced them to go to that place tonight. All she wanted was a wild night with her girlfriend and friends to prove she was just tough as she ever was, but right now everything was going down the drain.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 194





	being soft has its advantages

Joining Adora and her friends was certainly the best thing she had done in her life. Now, not only did she have friends and the girl she had loved her whole life, but she also was in peace with herself. She could say life was finally _good_. And all the time she spent kissing Adora was just proof of that. 

One could even say it was first the time in her life she could actually relax and enjoy being herself. However, one night something made her change her mind.

The best friend squad and the other princesses were in Bright Moon's principal saloon playing a card game together. Catra was lying on Adora's lap holding up her cards, she looked quite distracted as she gazed up to her girlfriend from time to time, her tail swinging to side to side, excitedly. 

Usually, she would be just as competitive as Adora. But that night she wasn't feeling like playing, she just joined them to be around Adora. 

"Stop it, Catra!" The blonde complained as Catra's tail teased her face. 

Obviously, Adora was trying to concentrate to win the game. But once Catra teased her again, she just started laughing and the catgirl couldn't help smiling, feeling a peaceful warmth inside her chest. 

"Ha!" Netossa exclaimed out of nowhere, hitting the cards on the table. "I won," she smirked. 

Adora groaned and complained angrily and so did other people. Since Catra wasn't even interested in the game in the first place, she just dropped the cards and started heading to her room, holding Adora’s hand. But she stopped when-

"Wow, I thought you were supposed to be a real threat," Netossa mocked her, giving her a daring look. 

"Excuse me?" Catra glared at her, crossing her arms. She felt Adora touching her shoulder and murmuring something like it was just a joke.

"Just saying..." Netossa went on. "Careful or someone could think you've turned too soft to win a battle."

 _That_ almost started a fight.

Adora practically dragged Catra out of the room to calm her down. After that, things just went back to normal. No one even seemed to remember what Netossa had said about her. But she just couldn't stop thinking about it. 

Had she become soft? Well, she was certainly more open about her emotions, but it didn't mean she was _soft_. Of course, not. She could still beat whoever she wanted and win any battle! Right?

###

Then, she had an idea. A stupid idea. It was supposed to be something simple, she didn't want things to get out of control. She decided she would have one wild night to prove that, even though she had changed, she was still as tough as she ever was. 

Somehow she convinced Adora, Bow, and Glimmer to go with her to one of the most dangerous areas of the planet. One of those places the Horde had destroyed years ago and still hadn't got proper help. Catra gave them the excuse they had to go there, undercovered of course, to study the best ways to help that place to thrive again. Yeah, she knew she shouldn't lie to her friends and girlfriend, but it wasn't exactly a lie. They were going to do that, she only happened to have other plans too. 

Once they got there, they went straight to a tavern. The place was falling apart, there were a lot of people shouting, drinking and fighting. Perfect, she thought. A soft person would never feel comfortable in a place like this, and the way Glimmer and Bow looked horrified only proved that. Adora on the other hand seemed intrigued, and Catra felt a fluttered feeling in her stomach when Adora smiled and held her hand. 

"Remember we used to say we would come to places like this when we were young?" She asked excitedly.

Catra laughed.

"Yeah, we were weird kids. Now, remember, no magic. We are just regular people here. Let's try to fit in, I will get us a table." 

So far things were going pretty well. Her plan was just to spend some time there, help the others with the supposed mission, and then, once they were back, she would tell everyone about her cool and non-soft-at-all adventure. 

She had calculated everything perfectly. Actually, almost everything. She had completely forgotten about Adora's capacity to act like a complete moron in the most inappropriate situations. And of course, _that_ was her doom.

They had spent some time at the table, pretending to be talking and drinking, before they started to spread around to talk to people. 

Once she left the table, she started to talk to the owner of the place, a strong and tall person, who seemed to be always ready to stab someone. For some reason, they seemed to be quite pleased to talk to Catra, and for a while the two of them stayed there, sharing their experiences in threatening people's lives.

But then-

"OOOOOH, YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME?" A groggy but still very cocky Adora shouted from the other side of the tavern. "FOR THE HONOR OF-"

 _Shit_.

Catra rushed to see what was going on. Luckily Bow had tackled Adora and stopped her to transform in front of everyone there. 

Glimmer got there too, giving a what-the-hell look to Catra, who only shrugged confused as she helped Adora to her feet. Then she noticed it. Adora hadn't pretended she was drinking. She had actually drunk. A lot apparently, since she could barely stand still.

 _Damn it_.

"Adora-"

"It's nooooot my fault," Adora started learning on Catra to keep her balance. The catgirl noticed people starting to surround them. "That jerk said to her friend she was going to make a move on you!" She grabbed Catra's collar and looked her with big unfocused eyes, "and when I said noooooo you won't, she said she could beat ME." She laughed at that.

Catra glanced at Bow and Glimmer. It was time to take off before either they got recognized or into a fight.

"Okay, Adora," she tried to sound calm and reassuring. "It's fine, let's just go now. You can't transform here, remember?" Catra whispered the last part to her ear.

Adora was smiling and about to say something when, "yeah, just run away, little girl, before you get hurt", the woman, who was bigger than Catra had noticed, shouted angrily at her.

"Hahahaha!" Adora started laughing out loud, throwing her head back. Catra frowned, confused. But then, the laughter stopped and the blonde only stared with a drunk smile at the stranger. "I'm gonna kick your ass." 

_Crap_. 

Adora pushed Catra away and jumped against the woman. Catra only saw Bow and Glimmer trying to stop Adora before hell was unleashed. The whole place became a big fight. Things getting mashed up, broken glasses everywhere, people punching each other.

###

Catra herself got to scratch some people out of her way, but not without getting punched and kicked as well. At least, Adora didn't turn into She-Ra. Nor Glimmer used her magic. If people knew the hero of Etheria and the Queen were in a place like that, they would have some problems. Glimmer would have her head, Catra thought as she saw Glimmer beating some random dude with her bare hands. Well, she probably would have her head anyway. 

And then, what seemed a lifetime later, they were getting back home. They all looked pretty beaten and scratched out. Adora, who had one of her arms around Catra's shoulders to get to walk properly, seemed happy though. When they were walking into the palace she just let out a loud stupid laugh. 

"I have to say... this was fuuuuuuun," she said groggily, leaning her head on Catra's. 

"Fun?!" Glimmer sounded outraged. "You almost got us killed! And ugh, tomorrow I have an important meeting, how am I supposed to show up there with half of my face all bruised?!" She asked angrily.

"Don't worry, Glimmer, we will think of something," Bow tried to calm her down. 

"I can't believe you got us into this, Catra!" Glimmer went on, ignoring her boyfriend. 

Catra only sighed. "I know, Sparkles, you have screamed at me the whole way here..."

"Of course, I did! This was the most stupid idea EVER. I still don't know what to do about that place, I got beaten, I-"

Adora started laughing again.

"Doesn't she look adorable when she is mad?!" She giggled, looking at Catra.

Before Glimmer could get even angrier, Bow dragged her away and Catra did the same with Adora, who was still chuckling. 

Once they got to their room, Adora rushed to their bed, dropping herself there. Catra sighed relieved that she was safe now. 

What the hell was she thinking? 

Not only had she put her friends in danger but also Adora. And for what? To have fun?

She winced touching a bruised part of her face. 

It wasn't fun, it just sucked. And now she felt guilty. 

"Catra?" Adora raised her head from the bed, blinking slowly. "What's the matter?" 

"It's nothing..." she shook her head, walking towards Adora. "Come on, let's get yourself clean." 

She helped a limb Adora to get to her feet again.

"Are you giving me a bath?" Adora giggled, before smiling in a mischievous way.

Catra couldn't help flushing. "Adora!"

"What?" The blonde giggled as Catra dragged her to the bathroom. "It's not like we haven't-"

"I know, Adora!" Catra cut her off, feeling more embarrassed and guilty. "But right now, you are drunk and hurt and it's my fault. So let's just get you clean and go to sleep, okay?" She said as she made Adora sit on the toilet lid and started looking for a first aid kit. 

"It's not your fault!" Adora corrected her, her voice sounded sleepy and childish. "We all agreed to go there."

Catra kneeled in front of Adora, to start cleaning her bruised face. Adora winced, and Catra’s heart tightened even more. 

“Yeah, but because of me.”

“But it was for a good cause, right?”

Catra grimaced at Adora as she kept working on her face. 

“Kind of.” Catra swallowed and Adora blinked at her. The blond girl looked both drowsed and curious. The catgirl sighed annoyed. “Ugh, fine. I wanted to go there because I want to show you guys I hadn’t become _soft_.” She rolled her eyes. 

“What?” Adora’s eyes widened as though she had just woken up. “Are you kidding me, right?”

Catra only gave her a forced apologetic smile as she bandaged her girlfriend’s right cheek. 

Adora shook her head, but then she could help but laugh. “Well, it was certainly a night to remember…” She giggled, taking a piece of cloth from the aid kid and start cleaning Catra’s face. 

“You only say that because you’re still drunk.” Catra pushed her hand away. “Come on, I can do that.” 

“Nooooo.” Adora complained, childishly. “Let me do it. Just stay put.” 

Catra sighed, pouting but staying still, so her girlfriend could take care of her. She rested her hands on Adora’s knees and looked inside her big blue eyes. She felt her heart racing. Even after all this time, it was hard to believe Adora was truly hers. She loved her so much it ached. And it felt so wonderfully good to be loved in return. She closed her eyes as Adora held her chin to bandage a bruise across her jawline. 

She kept like this for a while, feeling Adora’s fingers caressing her face. After a while, she let out a breath. 

“I’m sorry.” She whispered, still not opening her eyes.

“It’s okay…” When she finally looked at Adora, she was smiling. “I guess you paid the price getting more beaten up than the rest of us.” The blonde chuckled and the catgirl glared at her outraged.

“Yeah, only because I had to protect your drunk ass!” Adora laughed more as they both stood up, Catra helping her to keep her balance. “Seriously, why did you drink so much?”

“I thought we were supposed to fit in! You know…. Look badass.” She said in a silly tone, trying to make a cocky face. 

Catra just rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s go to bed.” She was heading back to the bedroom when Adora held her by the waist. “Whoa, wha-.”

“Catra, come on, we’re disgusting. We need a bath.” 

The catgirl only widened her eyes as her tail’s hair bristled up. “Are you kidding me?” She asked and she tried to get free from Adora’s grip. 

“Let’s go…”

“NO, ADORA! STOP!”

###

When they finally left the bathroom, they both looked fresh and clean. Adora couldn’t help laughing and Catra seemed ready to kill somebody. 

“You. Will. Pay. Me.” She groaned through her teeth. 

“Oh, come on, stop being a baby!” Adora dragged her to bed with her. 

The catgirl lay down next to her girlfriend with an unamused face. She stared at the ceiling for a while, taking a deep breath. She wondered if it was time to start believing in something such as bad karma. It was the only explanation. But all her thoughts drained away when she turned to the side to see Adora peering at her. 

Her blond hair was down and she was wearing the top and shorts she used to sleep with. Catra felt her face flushing, sometimes she almost hated Adora for making her feel like this. She was just so beautiful.

“Hey, don’t be mad at me…” Adora said in a playful drowsy tone. Catra wasn’t sure if she was still a little drunk or just really sleepy. 

“I’m not, dummy.” She finally answered, snuggling into Adora’s arms. 

The blonde embraced her softly and kissed her forehead, as she slowly stroked her hair. Catra let out a deep sigh. She made a huge mess today but in the end, she was glad everyone was fine and she was here. She moved to be even closer to Adora, her face buried into her neck. That was all that mattered. She breathed in Adora’s scent and felt her whole body relaxing, her eyelids getting heavy. 

“I love it when you do that,” Adora whispered.

“What?” She frowned confused.

“That cute little sound.” 

Her eyes widened when she realized she was purring. _Shit_. She’d got to find a way to control that.

“Aw, don’t stop,” Adora asked, loosening the embrace a little to look at her face.

Catra rolled her eyes, trying not to smile. It still surprised her how Adora could simply mess up with her so easily. For years, she hated it. But now… Now she got to enjoy it in every possible way. And she simply loved it.

She lifted her chin, so their faces would almost touch, before starting purring again, smirking at Adora. Next thing she knew Adora was kissing her, deeply and passionately. 

And, as she let herself drown in everything she was feeling for Adora right now, she realized it – maybe, being soft had its advantages. 


End file.
